International Women’s Day: Career: Nothing Can Stop An Ambitious Woman

“Every woman is a working woman, but only some get paid for it!” 

This sad thought resonated greatly with me, and I am sure it will provoke you too. With household duties, childcare, and looking after aging parents/inlaws, women are always working. Though in the corporate world, it is a different story altogether. As per International Labour Organisation, only 47% of women participate compared to 72% of men globally. In some regions, the difference is over a mind-boggling 50 percent.

United Nations Theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) this year is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.” And in the domain of careers (whether in the labor force or corporates), this theme couldn’t be more appropriate because of the following factors, as per a startling McKinsey Report about Women in the Workforce:

• Black and Asian women don’t get supported by their peers compared to White women.
• Asian and Latinas face a lot of cultural bias from their colleagues regarding their ethnicity.
• Women with disabilities face a lot of undermining from their non-disabled colleagues. Despite expertise in that domain, their decisions are often challenged and debated.
• LGBTQ+ women often face harassment by their peers regarding their mannerisms and appearances
• Black and Latinas women are less likely to have supportive bosses than women of other races. 

Different Flavours of Women’s Careers!

1. Entrepreneur: Be Employed & Employ Others As Well

Due to the lack of appropriate opportunities, many women have created opportunities for themselves by becoming entrepreneurs. They have succeeded in charting a career for themselves and employed others. Women entrepreneurs are more emphatic than male entrepreneurs and are more likely to give back to society.

2. Major BreadWinner: Rising Like a Phoenix in the Corporate World

This is a slim group wherein the woman is the family’s primary breadwinner. The male chauvinist’s partners don’t take very kindly to this. Due to insecurity, the relationship might have a lot of jealousy. Some male partners also have the option of chucking up their jobs to become househusbands to care for the household and the kids. However, it takes a lot of understanding and maturity to be a househusband as they may see a lot of jibes from society.

3. Restarting Career After A Break: A Major Juggling Act

A straight-forward without breaks career for a woman is hard enough, and heaven forbid if you took a career break. Even though many corporates welcome women back into the corporate world after a training/upskilling course, it is still challenging. Some companies offering such programs are Accenture, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, IBM, PayPal, and Microsoft. 

The loss of experience and salary gaps are prominent, and it takes guts of steel to return to your former position again. Plus, another dynamic is managing the homes, kids, and your expectations. 

4. Breaking Glass Ceilings In Boardrooms: It’s A Gentleman’s Club Out There

In senior-level roles, women are often overlooked for promotions compared to their male colleagues. They are often told to be more qualified for the promotion or have the requisite experience/skillset. Apart from this, women leaders are also discriminated against based on their gender and motherhood and passed over for promotions and pay raises.

They are underrecognized, overworked, and not adequately compensated by awards/accolades. Compared to only 31% of men, around 43% of women are burned out at higher corporate roles because their work isn’t respected in performance reviews.

Women want more work flexibility and want to work for companies that afford them a work-life balance and promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI.) According to a survey, almost 70% of women under 30 want to be placed in senior roles. Hence, companies need to wake up and prioritize DEI and flexibility to pave the way for the upcoming generation of women leaders.

5. Stay-At-Home Moms: The Frustrated Group

SAHMs are the most understated and underrated of all women. With the increasing inclusion of women in the workplace, the world’s SAHM’s feel left out. Many of them cannot work due to a lack of professional degrees or have no support at home to care for their kids. They feel frustrated and are often accorded zero respect by their partners and other working women.

What Women Want To Succeed In The Workplace

1. No Bias in Gender Roles

Harassment at work – whether physical, sexual, or verbal is the reality for women at almost all levels. Many countries have laws against gender discrimination, but it is still a long road ahead. We need public awareness campaigns, governmental equality bodies, and strict sanctions for women to feel safe at work.

2. Work-Family Balance

Women often drop out of the workforce because they must juggle their family responsibilities and need a work-family balance. They shoulder the main brunt of undervalued work like cooking, cleaning, and childcare. They may also need access to paid leave, maternity care, etc.

3. Equal Pay

Equal pay for equal-value work is a fundamental right that must be legally enforced and carried out in practice. 

4. Affordable Child Care & Safe Public Transport for Commuting

Affordable childcare is a global problem; generally, women face the brunt of it. In underdeveloped/developing countries, women face many issues when traveling to and from work. Due to the lack of safe transportation, many women are forced to drop out of the workforce as they might face sexual harassment on their daily commute. 

5. Protection Against Economic Downturns

Whenever there is a recession, women often face the brunt of losing their jobs more than men. Even though they may be equally qualified and experienced, they are usually laid off compared to their male counterparts. We need laws in place to prevent this injustice from happening.

Despite all the persistent challenges, women are making their presence felt in the labor force and shaking up the system. Trying to break the glass ceiling, entering male-dominated board rooms, charting into unfamiliar combat zones, being a first-generation entrepreneur, or being the primary breadwinner in the family, women have done it all, and with chutzpah and aplomb! 

More Power to Them!